Wine connoisseurs in Japan are gearing up for an annual ritual. (NHK)

When a train crossing meets an 18 meter tall Buddha statue 150 meters away, the scene comes together to make a very unique image. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Japan Airlines Co. began offering discounted coronavirus tests to travelers Friday after teaming up with a medical institution in Tokyo, in a bid to ease concerns about infections and encourage customers to travel amid the pandemic. (Kyodo)

Japan plans to seek next-generation astronauts to join an international program to explore the moon. (NHK)

Tokyo and London have agreed the UK's first big post-Brexit trade deal as Britain pushes to keep its economy on track after leaving the European Union. (NHK)

The pass costs 12,000 Yen and is valid for 3 consecutive days. Children 6 to 12 are half price. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Six Japanese scholars have accused the government of breaking a law by rejecting them as members of the country's top academic body. (NHK)

A Japanese research team says some survivors of COVID-19 have suffered from shortness of breath, smell disturbance and loss of hair months after leaving hospital. (NHK)

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says the utmost effort is necessary to prevent coronavirus infections and fend off cyberattacks ahead of next year's rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched its own travel subsidy program Friday, offering Tokyoites discounts of Y5,000 per person for a one-night stay costing ¥6,000 or more at hotels and inns in the capital. ()

When the COVID-19 pandemic decimated her family’s cattle farming business in Vietnam earlier this year, one 23-year-old foreign student who had spent around 18 months in Japan was soon left without the funds her family usually sent to cover her university tuition fees. (Japan Times)

Halloween in Japan is expected to be celebrated in new ways this year, at socially distanced events or online with revelers upping their facial decorations, as attempts are being made to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government is considering an exemption of coronavirus-related quarantine requirements for business travelers entering the country for short stays of up to 72 hours. (NHK)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is considering sharply scaling back its staff and budget for developing the first domestically manufactured passenger jet, effectively freezing the operation amid a slump in demand caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Bullying cases recognized by elementary, junior high, high and special-needs schools in Japan in fiscal 2019 grew by some 60,000 from the previous year to a record 612,496, the education ministry said Thursday. (Japan Times)

A coronavirus testing center will open next month at Narita Airport near Tokyo, enabling departing travelers to obtain a negative test result certificate within two hours, the operators said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan is an incomprehensible country for European minds. Even those who have lived there for more than a dozen years cannot solve all its secrets. ( Top10 videosworld)

A computer file containing data on 2,750 business partners of a unit of Japan Post Co. has been leaked, the parent company said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry has suggested that many women in the country may have opted out of pregnancy due to the coronavirus epidemic. (NHK)

Japan is considering creating a hub where financial firms can file regulatory paperwork in English as Tokyo aims to recruit banks and brokerages away from Hong Kong and other parts of the world, according to people familiar with the matter. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government will soon pledge to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

East Japan Railway Co. said Wednesday it will bring forward last train departure times on 17 lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area by up to some 40 minutes from next spring, as late-night passengers continue to decline amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Researchers in Japan say they have confirmed that face masks are effective in both retarding the spread of viruses and reducing the intake of them. (NHK)

More than 10,000 foreigners were denied entry to Japan last year. It was the first time in 12 years that the number has exceeded this figure. (NHK)

Taiwan reported one more imported COVID infection on Wednesday, a 10-year-old boy from Indonesia. (Formosa TV English News)